˗ˋ 07

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by hvgwcrts

by hvgwcrts

CHAPTER SEVEN
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-: the department of aurors :-

── IN WHICH THEY DISCOVER
A PROBLEM

. . .

THEY HAD APPARATED THERE, leaving the Department of Aurors behind in favour of a house on the edge of a small town halfway up England. It was still far too early in the morning for any of their likings but now, that was the job of their choosing.

Granted, none of them - 'them' being Ron, Harry and bloody Phoenix Crowe - had imagined that being an auror would entail early mornings visiting the crime scenes of dead wizards somewhat related to Death Eaters and Voldemort. And it had been several years since the war, and the people being killed had supposedly already been cleared.

"So you're telling me you didn't in the least suspect Marcus Flint's dad to be some kinda of Death Eater?" Phoenix looked dumbfounded as she stared at Ron and Harry, both of whom were recovering from their apparation. They had had much practise, as Phoenix had come to know after learning about their travels whilst she was completing her odd supposed final year, but neither seemed to have gotten used to the swirling motion sickness that came afterwards.

"Phoenix-"

They were stood in front of the house, several feet away from the gate onto the path that lead to the open front door. Above them, a streetlight flickered and buzzed surrounded by a cloud of moths attracted to the amber glow.

"No, seriously. Harry, you played Quidditch, Ron, you watched every match he was in." She glanced between them, finger pointed almost accusatory between them. "He had a permanently broken nose, his teeth were crooked, and he used the dirtiest tactics anyone had ever seen. You didn't have the slightest inkling that this pure-blood Slytherin bully was the son of a Death Eater?"

"Come on, don't say it like that." Harry pulled on a pair of the gloves someone was handing out near the entrance, handing them out to the other two as they took a step into the perimeter. "I thought that it was almost definite.. but he was four years older than us, we were more worried whether Draco was the heir of Slytherin or if Snape was trying to mess with my broom."

"Hey, just because he was four years older doesn't mean he didn't try it. With me.. with Daphne.. Pansy.. even Millicent." Phoenix scoffed as they made their way through the door. "Guy was a first-class prick, I'm not even-"

"Phoenix, it's been a while." There was a cough, a far too familiar cough, and Phoenix stiffened, just slightly. Stood at the end of the kitchen island was a rather cross-looking Marcus Flint, a woman stood behind him already being talked to by another from the department. "Strange, I didn't think this would be the company you decided to keep."

"I suppose you were never smart to understand what the word 'coworkers' means, huh?" Phoenix raised her eyebrows, Harry and Ron sharing a glance behind her. The Crowe certainly could hold her own, but with the comments she just made, it created a sense of unease within them. "And I wouldn't be too much of a dick, considering what situation you're in."

"Oh, and where are your parents?"

"In Azkaban.. very much alive." She retorted, watching as he started forward. A flick of Harry's wand and he was pushed back.

"I'd be careful, Mr Flint." The Potter took on a tone of surprising maturity. "After all, you are wanting us to find out who exactly did murder your parents, aren't you? Because you're not going to get any more Aurors out here this early in the morning. Not at the level the investigation needs, anyway."

"Fine, whatever. Just tell your bitch of a coworker to keep her mouth shut and we won't have a problem." Flint retorted. "Trying to say I made a pass at her - why the hell would I make a pass at her."

"There's a Pensieve at the Ministry if you'd like to check." Phoenix rolled her eyes. "All I need to do is extract the memory and my friend Harry will take a good look at it. You hearing this, Tina?" She added, leaning forward to take a good look at the woman stood behind him. "Your boyfriend liked to attempt to get with girls four years below him, and now his parents were murdered for-"

"That is classified information as of now." Ron quickly interrupted her, glancing around nervously, digging his hands into the pockets of his trousers. "Phoenix - er, perhaps take a look at the crime scene? We'll follow you in in a minute."

The dark haired girl stood still for a moment, contemplating. She swallowed, shaking her head as she turned her back on the group and left the room, towards the room that had been cornered off

"And now you're taking orders from a Weasley - really Crowe, you've stooped so low." Flint yelled after her, Harry's eyes widening as he quickly retaliated, pulling Ron out of the room after Phoenix, coming to a stop in the corridor.

"Fucking hell." Ron ran a hand through his hair. "I tell you, mate, I could have been sleeping right now, waking up to go and work with the twins at a decent time. But no, I have to break up fights between two Slytherins only for one of them to insult me."

"Well.. you've got to admit one of them is worth defending, right?" Harry blinked, eyes wide and unusually green behind his glasses. "I guess we'll have to keep them apart for now, right? I mean.. I don't want to have to hear insults being hurled at each other whilst there are two dead bodies on the floor in front of us."

"That or you don't want Phoenix to have anymore hurled at her." Ron raised an eyebrow, watching as his friend shoved his shoulder. "Whatever you say, we should probably go join her right? Shouldn't leave her alone with a dead body for too long."

"Well there would be the medical people in there-"

"How many years on the job and you still can't get it right?"

"Shut the hell up Ron."

It seemed that the early mornings and Marcus Flint would end up getting to them all.

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